


Long Plane Rides

by Sawyers_Shenanigans



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Watersports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 06:35:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3559772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sawyers_Shenanigans/pseuds/Sawyers_Shenanigans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the jet ride home from a difficult case Emily wakes up to find Reid never even fell asleep. What's keeping Reid awake after a thirty-six hour case?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Plane Rides

        Prentiss yawned and shifted the way she was sitting as she awoke. The plane was quiet besides the strangely calming hum of the planes workings and the rushing of air outside of the windows. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. She checked the time on her phone. 2:47 a.m. The team had gotten on the plane at ten that night, after a particularly hard case in Washington state. Yawning again, she looked around. Hotch was asleep on one of the chairs by the table, his up against the window. Morgan was was across the table from him his head on his arms on the table. Rossi was on one of the couches. JJ was curled up on one side of the couch, and Reid was on the other. Unlike all the other sleeping passengers, Spencer Reid was still sitting up wide awake reading away at his gigantic book.

        “Did you sleep?” She whispered. Reid, startled, looked up at her.

        “Uh, no. Still reading.” Reid said quietly. He shifted uncomfortably but stopped when JJ who was asleep with her head on his legs shifted as well.

        “What? You’ve been up for almost thirty-six hours. The book will still be there when you wake up.” She laughed. She felt like she was talking to a child.

        “Yeah, I’m not that tired.” Reid tried but of course his body defied him at felt the need to yawn as soon as the words left his mouth.

        “Reid go to sleep.” Prentiss smiled. Knowing she wasn’t going to be able to fall back asleep she pulled her own book out of her bag. Reid waited until she had begun to read her own book before going back to his own reading. “To sleep Reid. Go to sleep.” Prentiss said without looking up. He looked up at her for a minute then sat his book on the table. He returned to the exact position he had been in however, now he just had nothing to do.

        “Reid why won’t you sleep?” Prentiss asked going to sit in a chair across the table from the couch Reid and JJ were on.

         “I told you I’m not tired.” Reid said with a laugh, not looking anywhere near Prentiss’s face.

         “Reid look at me.” Prentiss instructed. Reid looked up nervously, trying not to look to suspicious. “Why won’t you go to sleep?”

        “As I said before I-” Reid tried again but Prentiss cut him off.

        “Reid you’ve been awake for thirty-six hours. Don’t tell me you're not tired.” She said sternly. “Why won’t you sleep?” She said stressing every word.

        “I don’t want to.” Reid said looking down. Prentiss almost laughed at his childish response.

        “Oh?” She chuckled, “And why’s that?” There it was. The question Reid was praying she didn’t ask.

        “I, um, just don’t.” He said tucking his hair behind his ears. It was obvious to Prentiss that he was nervous.

        “Reid.” Prentiss pressed.

        “I, um, I’ve been having some trouble sleeping.” He said staring at his hands.

        “Nightmares?” Prentiss questioned sympathetically, they all got them.

        “Um yeah, something like that.” Reid agreed uncomfortably.

        “Well, go to sleep and I’ll wake you if you look like you having a nightmare.” Prentiss smiled.

        “I can’t. That won’t work.” Reid said shoving his hair behind his ears. Prentiss didn’t think she had ever seen Reid so nervous or so uncomfortable.

        “Okaay Reid you're actually starting to freak me out a little.”

        “It’s not,” He sighed, “It’s not about the nightmares themselves. It’s about what comes with them.”

        “What do you mean?” Prentiss asked, confused.

        “I call out, or sometimes just outright scream. I sweat so much I have shower before and after bed everyday.”

        “Reid, its okay. No one is going to be upset if you have a nightmare, we all do sometimes. Occupational hazard.” She smiled.

        “I can’t Prentiss.” Reid said angrily.

        “Reid come on.”

        “I can’t.” He repeated defeated.

        “What else is going on here?” She breathed.

        “Immighwehmyshev.” He mumbled.

        “What?”  
        “I might wet myself.” He said barely a notch louder. Prentiss was surprised, she couldn't say she saw that one coming. Reid stared down, avoiding any glimpse of her gaze, and wrung his hands in his lap. It took a moment for Prentiss to process what he was telling her.

        “Okay then, so you won’t sleep on the plane because you're afraid you might -”

        “Shh. Please.” Reid cut her off, his eyes begging her to listen.

        “Sorry, right.” Prentiss repeated. They sat in silence as Prentiss thought it all over. The awkwardness was only broken by Reid trying to stifle a yawn that got the best of him. “You're exhausted.” Prentiss sighed.

        “No I’m not.” He countered.

        “You are.” He opened his mouth to protest again but she raised her eyebrows at him and continued. “You don’t have to sleep. I won’t force you too.” She joked awkwardly, “But lets talk so you can stay awake.”

        “Wh-what do we talk about?” Reid questioned.

        “Tell me about the last book you read.” She suggested after a moment of thought.

        “The last book I read was Quantum Entanglement and Information Processing: Lecture Notes of the Les Houches Summer School 2003.”

        “Well I’m sure there's a lot you can tell me from that.” Prentiss smiled. Reid sat up a little straighter and began to tell her. While it confused Prentiss and made her want to fall asleep, Reid was able to stay up the rest of the plane ride home and avoid any accidents.


End file.
